Tinubu Proposes Sweeping Constitutional Reforms, Including Renaming Nigeria and Abolishing Sharia Criminal Law

 Tinubu Proposes Sweeping Constitutional Reforms, Including Renaming Nigeria and Abolishing Sharia Criminal Law President Bola Tinubu is pre...

 Tinubu Proposes Sweeping Constitutional Reforms, Including Renaming Nigeria and Abolishing Sharia Criminal Law

President Bola Tinubu is preparing to submit a far-reaching constitutional amendment bill to the National Assembly that would fundamentally restructure Nigeria’s federal system, a senior Presidency source has told reporters.

The proposed legislation, described internally as “Project True Federation,” includes three landmark changes:

Renaming the Federal Republic of Nigeria the United States of Nigeria (USN);

Prohibiting the application of Sharia law in criminal matters nationwide, limiting its scope to civil and personal-status cases;

Transferring substantial powers currently held by the federal government including policing, prisons, mineral resources (excluding petroleum taxation), railways, electricity generation and distribution, and value-added tax collection to the 36 states.

The source said the draft bill, which President Tinubu has personally overseen, is expected to be transmitted to the National Assembly by December 15, 2025.

A key provision would insert a new Section 10A into the 1999 Constitution explicitly barring criminal prosecutions under any religious legal system. Sharia courts in the 12 northern states that currently apply full Islamic penal codes would be restricted to family, inheritance, and other civil matters. State-level Hisbah religious police forces would be dissolved and their functions absorbed into regular law-enforcement structures.

The reforms also propose a new revenue-allocation formula under which states would retain 50 per cent of revenues generated within their territories, receive 20 per cent from an equalisation fund, and remit 30 per cent to the federal government – a sharp reversal of the present arrangement.

Northern leaders reacted with immediate and strong opposition. Governors from the region held an emergency meeting in Kano on Sunday and issued a statement rejecting any move to restrict Sharia criminal jurisdiction. Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu said the proposal amounted to “an unacceptable infringement on the religious rights of Muslims.” The Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria and the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) both warned of widespread resistance if the bill proceeds.

Southern and Christian organisations expressed guarded support. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) welcomed the limitation of Sharia to civil matters as “consistent with the secular character of the Constitution,” while Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere and the Ohanaeze Ndigbo apex Igbo organisation praised the devolution of powers as a step toward true federalism.

Opposition figures criticised the timing and approach. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the initiative as “risky without broader national consensus,” and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi cautioned that abrupt restructuring could deepen divisions.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga declined to confirm or deny the existence of the draft when contacted on Sunday, stating only that the administration remained committed to reforms that strengthen Nigeria’s federal structure.

Constitutional lawyers noted that any amendment of this magnitude would require the approval of two-thirds of the National Assembly (at least 240 members of the House of Representatives and 73 senators) followed by ratification by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly – a threshold that analysts say will be difficult to achieve given the sharp regional differences already evident.

Sources within the Presidency confirmed that President Tinubu has held separate consultations in recent days with the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III, and leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria in an effort to build bridges ahead of the bill’s formal presentation.

As of Monday morning, the hashtag #ProjectTrueFederation was trending across social media platforms, reflecting intense national debate over what could become the most consequential constitutional overhaul since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.